1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology for managing electronic money that circulates on networks, such as the Internet.
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic commerce (EC) on networks such as the Internet is now spreading widely. Under the circumstances, technology has been proposed for settling accounts in electronic commerce on a network. This technology is called electronic settlement. Some systems and protocols proposed so far are listed in the following.
(1) First Virtual
An electronic settlement system proposed by First Virtual. Credit card settlement is used. It is a precondition that only digital information goods transferable on a network are dealt with. Electronic mail is used to give and accept orders, but facsimile is used to transmit card numbers for security reasons.
(2) CyberCash
An electronic settlement system proposed by CyberCash. Credit card settlement is used. In addition to giving and accepting orders, networks such as the Internet are used to transmit information about card numbers or the like, which need to be safeguarded. Therefore, a powerful encryption process is performed on those items of information before transmission to ensure security.
(3) SET (Secure Electronic Transaction)
This is an electronic settlement protocol, proposed by Visa International, Master Card International, etc. Credit card settlement is used. As in CyberCash, a strong encryption process is conducted on information about giving and accepting orders and card numbers or the like before transmission.
Furthermore, SET provides means for authenticating credit card users and means for authenticating member stores where the credit cards can be used.
(4) Ecash
Ecash is an electronic settlement system proposed by DigiCash and uses the electronic money digital cash system. More specifically, cash settlement is made by electronic money having a value equal to an actual paper currency. The user draws electronic money corresponding to the sum of payment from the storage medium, and sends the money to the recipient.
The above examples (1) to (3) are applications of settlement by credit card to settlement in electronic commerce. Therefore, credit cards are required to settle accounts. Information about a card number or the like, which needs to be protected, must be sent in one form or another. Moreover, the flow of money (who spent how much, and where) is known to a third party, in other words, it shows low anonymity.
In contrast to these, ecash in (4) applies cash settlement by bills and coins for settlement in electronic commerce. Unlike (1) to (3) above, credit cards are not required. Like in cash settlement by bills or coins, it is difficult for a third party to detect the flow of money (strong anonymity).
As has been described, ecash is highly convenient because it does not use credit cards as a means of settlement. Technology, like ecash, which realizes settlement on a network by electronic money, is generally called network type electronic money. Unless otherwise defined, the network type electronic money is hereafter referred to simply as electronic money.
As described in RELATED ART above, there are a variety of kinds of electronic money. It can easily be foreseen that many other kinds of electronic money will appear and circulate intermingling on the networks in the future. At present, however, electronic commerce is impossible between the users of different kinds of electronic money, a fact which greatly reduces the effectiveness of electronic settlement.
With the progress of electronic money, it will become possible for individual persons to easily remit large sums of money across the boundaries of countries. Under such a situation, there are possibilities for the management of currency transfer from one country to another to get out of control, which easily gives rise to financial insecurity, such as inflation or deflation on an international scale.
As described above, electronic money is characterized by its strong protection of anonymity of the user. However, in the case of the conventional ecash described above, when members of organizations, such as business firms, use electronic money, owing to its characteristic, it is anticipated that problems will arise which would not be so troublesome when individual persons use electronic money. To cite some examples,
(1) When a member of an organization settles an account with a user outside the organization by using electronic money, the administrative department (e.g., the accounting or materials department) of the organization is unable to manage the settlement of the account.
(2) Since it becomes possible to send remittance outside the organization easily by the use of electronic money, the amount of damage may run up to an alarming sum in the case of a remittance error, embezzlement or fraud.
With the conventional form of ecash, if a payment is made by electronic money on hand, a sum of payment is collected as a combination of different nominal values of electronic money and the money is sent. For this reason, the user must always be cognizant of the numbers of different pieces of electronic money of different nominal values that he possesses.
The present invention has been made with the above problems taken into consideration, and has its object to enable management of the transfer of electronic money without affecting the working environment of electronic commerce when settlement systems for different kinds of electronic money are used.
To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method of managing electronic money in a network apparatus installed between a first network and a second network, wherein electronic money circulating only within the first network is designated as electronic money current on the first network (This electronic money is hereafter referred to as electronic money A), the method comprising the steps of:
when a first terminal connected to the first network sends money to a second terminal connected to the second network, receiving electronic money A sent from the first terminal, changing the electronic money A into electronic money current on the second network (The latter electronic money is hereafter referred to as electronic money B), and sending electronic money B to said second terminal; and
when the second terminal sends money to the first terminal, receiving electronic money B sent from the second terminal, changing the electronic money B into electronic money A, and sending electronic money A to the first terminal.
In the above case, the network apparatus is a gateway or a router, for example.
In the present invention, electronic money that can be handled by the first terminal connected to a certain network is assumed to be electronic money A current in that network, in other words, electronic money A is assumed to be a different kind of electronic money from electronic money B current on another network. According to the present invention, a network apparatus connected both to one network and another network is charged with performing a money change function between electronic money A and electronic money B. By this arrangement, the money change process is always performed by the network apparatus during the settlement process when electronic commerce is performed between the first and the second terminals.
Therefore, according to the present invention, when a user of the first terminal connected to a certain network conducts electronic commerce with a user of the second terminal connected to the other network, the network apparatus invariably performs the money change process between electronic money A and electronic money B to settle accounts. Accordingly, the organization (the administrative department, namely, the accounting or materials department) that manages the users connected to that certain network can manage the settlement of accounts between the user at the first terminal connected to the certain network and the user at the second terminal connected to the other network by, for example, recording a history of the money change process at the network apparatus and monitoring the records. As a result, it is possible to minimize trouble in electronic commerce, such as errors in remittance or embezzlement.
Local electronic money can be transferred directly between the users of the terminals connected to a certain network without intervention of the network apparatus, so that anonymity as the advantage in payment by electronic money can be maintained.
In the present invention, when the first terminal sends money to the second terminal, if the nominal value of electronic money A sent from the first terminal is larger than the amount of money previously allotted to the user at the first terminal, the money change process may be designed such that electronic money A is sent back to the first terminal without being converted into electronic money B.
By this arrangement, in electronic commerce between the user at the first terminal connected to the certain network and the user at the second terminal connected to the other network, trouble in electronic commerce, such as an error in remittance or embezzlement, can be further minimized efficiently.
Further, in the present invention, the network apparatus may be so arranged as to change electronic money A sent from the first terminal into a desired combination of different nominal values of electronic money A in response to a command from the first terminal.
In this case, the user at the first terminal can get a desired amount of electronic money A generated even if he is not aware of the quantities of different nominal values of electronic money A that he possesses.